New nuclear doctrine. Putin is confused by the threats

Vladimir Putin said that it is proposed to introduce a number of clarifications in the nuclear doctrine of the Russian Federation in terms of determining the conditions for the use of nuclear weapons.

The President of the aggressor country, Vladimir Putin, announced a change in the nuclear doctrine of the Russian Federation. According to him, Russia reserves the right to use nuclear weapons during aggression, including if the enemy, using conventional weapons, creates a “critical threat.” Also, the draft updated nuclear doctrine will expand the category of states and military alliances against which nuclear deterrence is carried out. But based on Putin’s statements, the Russian Federation should have used nuclear weapons more than once during the invasion of Ukraine.

Impossible standards

Putin claimed that reliable information about the launch of aerospace attack weapons towards Russia would have a nuclear response. Moreover, Russia may consider the issue of using nuclear weapons after reliable data on the massive launch of missiles and UAVs when crossing the border.

In September, Ukraine launched more than 150 drones at a time at Russian targets. It is likely that such strikes will be repeated, and then Russia will face a difficult choice – either to conduct a nuclear war in response to a UAV attack that is typical for this war, or to show that the nuclear doctrine is not works.

Western weapons

Another point of the doctrine clearly concerns Western-made missiles. Discussions about the possibility of Ukraine getting permission to use them against Russian targets are ongoing.

“In the updated version of the document, the aggression against Russia by any non-nuclear state, but with the participation or support of a nuclear state, is proposed to be considered as their joint attack on the Russian Federation,” said Putin.

However, these missiles have long been used against targets in Crimea, for example. And Russia considers the occupied Ukrainian peninsula as its territory. And if Ukraine again uses ATACMS or Storm Shadow against targets in Sevastopol, and Russia does not organize Armageddon in response, does this mean that the nuclear doctrine or the Constitution of the Russian Federation does not work?

Empty statements

CIA Director William Burns said there is a point in late 2022 when there is a real risk that Russia will use tactical nuclear weapons in response to a series of battlefield failures. Burns said he outlined the consequences of such use to Russian officials.

“However, I do not believe—and this is the view of my entire agency—that we should feel any unnecessary fear about this,” the CIA director continued. — Putin tends to act with threats. From time to time he will continue to rattle weapons at us.” However, until now we have been talking about statements, although strong, but still optional. Today we are talking about changing the nuclear doctrine.

Mikhail Podolyak, adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, commented on Putin’s words.

“A man begins a three-day – well, we say it sarcastically, a “three-day” – “special military operation”, and now with trembling hands he reads the following from a sheet of paper : look, if we provoke this war with conventional weapons, then we will use them against non-nuclear nuclear weapons states. Well, this is completely reputational rock bottom, “Podolyak said on the air at the Ukrainian telethon. “It is clear that the Russian Federation does not understand how to stop what will continue this war,” he added.